It’s 1988 in the once-affluent Washington Heights neighborhood of New York, and crack cocaine is king. Reinaldo Arenas is the brutal leader of the reigning Dominican gang selling the drug in that area, and Assistant District Attorney Frank Corda is the man assigned to take him down. Armed with a task force of DEA agents and NYPD detectives, Corda must negotiate the perilous world of politics, drug kingpins, and opposing police entities in his bid to rid Washington Heights of the drug scourge.
Inspired by true events, and alternating between intrigue and action, Fallen City captures an iconic era in the history of New York and paints a human story on the canvas of one of its biggest challenges.
Author’s Note: I wrote Fallen City with Lawrence Kelter, my writing partner for The Last Collar. We took a third person, multiple viewpoint approach in this novel so that we could explore the perspective of Frank Corda, Baron Tavarez (Arenas’ right hand man), and Mike Aviani (the task force sergeant), among others.
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Reviews:
“These men have captured the aura of the 1980s in New York City – or rather Washington Heights neighborhood and have managed to use a true story as the nidus for an impressive thriller mystery. It takes the expertise of authors who have been there/done that to capture the pungent flavors of the period and era and with the combined backgrounds of mystery writer and police career, the result is a FALLEN CITY to step into carefully – and with complete satisfaction with a story.”
— Grady Harp, from a 5-star Amazon review
“This book is worth the time and effort it takes to read about the darker aspects of this part of our world and the brave individuals who are willing to make our safety their priority. The characters are well written and are people readers are likely to care about. If you are willing to read a valiant fight against darkness (which seemed very real to me), this is a good book for you!”
— LuAnn Rodriguez, from a 5-star Amazon review
“In Fallen City, the war on drugs brings gangsters, law enforcement officers, and an assistant district attorney who discovers he has a knack for some aspects of police work into conflict in an elegantly woven, fast-paced tale that will satisfy readers who love gritty 1970s crime dramas such as Serpico or The French Connection. Much like those classic movies, Kelter and Zafiro’s novel depicts New York as a grimy, dangerous place where death lurks around every corner in some neighborhoods but at the same time it is colorful and wonderful in ways that probably can’t be recaptured today. As their characters play cat and mouse in some of the bad parts of town, New York becomes a compelling character in its own right in a way that makes the book more fun to read.”
— Brian Triplett, independent reviewer
“If you’re looking for a cozy mystery – this isn’t it. A gritty in your face police procedural that will keep you turning pages. A task force is assembled to stop the warring drug lords that are taking over the city. Racism, distrust, and egos sometimes get in the way – and this is the task force. The drug dealers and some dirty cops have the same problems. There are no dull or boring chapters in this book.”
— Q Garcia, from a 5-star Amazon review
“The cast of characters and their individual and collective roles played come together seamlessly. The plot line just flows. This is the best police novel I’ve read in a long time!”
— Linda Longo, from a 5-star Amazon review
“This story shows all that is involved in an officer’s life daily, written as only someone who lived that life could! The banter between the cops, criminals and undercover guys is real to life and gritty…[a] great story that is part police procedural, thriller and biography, as some real stories are brought to life by these authors. I definitely felt myself right beside the cops, trying to keep myself alive while faking that I am on a gang members’ side! A wonderful story of what an officers’ life was really like during those tough years, told in a factual, no holds barred way that has you brushing the dirt of your face, breathing the stench of drugs and body odor, while you try to fight your way to a safe spot behind a car door`…gun shots hitting the car windows…taking your breath away…A thrilling adventure , best cop story I have read in a long time…”
— Kathryn A. Defranc, from a 5-star Amazon review